Controversy Over Anthony Bourdain Documentary ‘Roadrunner’

[RAMd®d]

“Dicey Territory”: Controversy Erupts Over AI-Generated Voiceover In Morgan Neville’s Anthony Bourdain Documentary ‘Roadrunner’

UPDATED with more details: Normally on the opening day of a Morgan Neville film, the talk would be about box office potential—after all, his 2018 Mr. Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? earned an astounding $23 million.

But as Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain hits theaters today, focus has shifted to controversy over the Oscar-winning director’s use of AI in the film to simulate Bourdain “voicing” several lines that the late chef, author and TV host wrote but did not record. The issue has triggered a debate inside and outside the doc community, with some accusing Neville of committing an unacknowledged “deep fake.”


Neville stated to the effect he got an 'ok' from Bourdain's 'widow' (Bourdain apparently had none) and others, that they were cool with it.

Octavia Bourdain took to Twitter to say she wasn't down.

I'm unfamiliar with Bourdain other than knowing that he was a food critic and that he committed suicide.

The AI aspect reminds me of the Fred Astaire's Dirt Devil 'endorsement'.

Not the same thing of course, beyond using what the webs is calling deep fake tech.

It might be Bourdain's suicide that makes this more egregious to fans and others.


https://mobile.twitter.com/OttaviaBourda...5005716485

https://twitter.com/OttaviaBourdain/stat...5005716485

https://variety.com/2021/artisans/news/a...235020878/



Subject line edited for clarification, meep meep!

[Will Collier]

I was expecting a condemnation of quality control at the ACME Corporation, but no.

[rgG]

Will Collier wrote:
I was expecting a condemnation of quality control at the ACME Corporation, but no.

[Rolando]

This is a serious subject. I thought it was about the greatest rock song of all time:
https://youtu.be/Gy88-5pc7c8

[DeusxMac]

Rolando wrote:
This is a serious subject. I thought it was about the greatest rock song of all time:
https://youtu.be/Gy88-5pc7c8

Nah. This...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hy6EiiNUmA

(Full, studio version)

[Rolando]

DeusxMac wrote:
[quote=Rolando]
This is a serious subject. I thought it was about the greatest rock song of all time:
https://youtu.be/Gy88-5pc7c8

Nah. This...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hy6EiiNUmA

(Full, studio version)
If I could play guitar I would mash those two up!

[Blankity Blank]

Neville is being a bit of a dickk in discussing it, being coy about acknowledging which lines were created using the AI. As I understand or, a small, partial reading of a last e-mail to a friend is the only acknowledged instance, thought it has been confirmed there are at least two other instances.

Obviously this is a process fraught with the potential for misuse due to reasons ranging from tone deafness to incompetence to the desire to create false controversy or drama.

Particularly in instances like this, where the quoted person is no longer available to provide the actual contextual tone, there are far too many subtle and not so subtle particulars to actual speech that can, intentionally or not, be manipulated or got wrong and change the entire character of a comment.

[Acer]

Blankity Blank wrote:
Neville is being a bit of a dickk in discussing it, being coy about acknowledging which lines were created using the AI. As I understand or, a small, partial reading of a last e-mail to a friend is the only acknowledged instance, thought it has been confirmed there are at least two other instances.

Obviously this is a process fraught with the potential for misuse due to reasons ranging from tone deafness to incompetence to the desire to create false controversy or drama.

Particularly in instances like this, where the quoted person is no longer available to provide the actual contextual tone, there are far too many subtle and not so subtle particulars to actual speech that can, intentionally or not, be manipulated or got wrong and change the entire character of a comment.

For the documentary of my life, I want the AI to deliver all my lines in my best imitation of a Donald Duck voice.

[Blankity Blank]

Acer wrote:
For the documentary of my life, I want the AI to deliver all my lines in my best imitation of a Donald Duck voice.

Me? Fred Mertz.





Google it, kids.